Fermented Winter Squash
From Preserved: Vegetables, by Darra Goldstein, Cortney Burns, and Richard Martin
Excerpted with permission from Preserved: Vegetables; by Darra Goldstein, Cortney Burns, and Richard Martin; published by Hardie Grant Publishing, October 2024
Fermented Winter Squash
Yield: About 1 quart
Ingredients:
1 (2-pound / 900 g) winter squash, such as butternut, kabocha, or Hubbard
Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, for brine
Procedure
Sterilize a 1-quart / 1 L canning jar or fermentation crock. Peel the squash, then slice it in half and remove the seeds. Cut it into 1- to 2-inch / 2.5 to 5 cm chunks and place them in the jar. Pour in enough water to completely cover the squash. As you do, keep track of how much water you add, since this will dictate the amount of salt you need.
Calculate 3.5 percent of the weight of the water used and measure out that amount of kosher salt. Stir the salt into the water in the jar with a long wooden spoon until the salt is dissolved (or add the salt, capthe jar, and shake well).
Place a weight or small saucer on top of the squash to keep it submerged in the brine. Seal the container, using a lid with an airlock if you have one; if you don’t, open the container every few days to release carbon dioxide buildup and check for mold (if any has accumulated, you can gently scrape off).
Place the container in a low-light area with an ambient temperature of 60°F to 68°F / 16°C to 20°C for about 3 weeks, until the brine is opaque and the squash tastes sour. Transfer the pickles in their brine to the refrigerator, where they will keep indefinitely.
Notes and Substitutions:
To make a simple brine, combine water and salt according to weight, with the salt's weight comprising 3 or 3.5 percent of the water's weight. The math is fairly simple using either standard American or metric measures, since 1 fluid ounce of water weighs just about 1 ounce. So, for example, to make a 3 percent brine, each 2 cups of water is 16 ounces by weight, so would need a scant 1/2 ounce of kosher salt by weight, or about 2 1/2 teaspoons (if using Diamond Crystal).